There seem to be a lot of ways to make money in Skyrim. Obviously probably everyone makes money by looting places you clear out and selling off the stuff. But what is your favorite (or most effective) way to finance your standard of living?

I think for me it's Alchemy. I don't have any of the perks, but I'm up to 70 and I grab ingredients everywhere and the money I make by selling potions finances training and purchases nicely. Secondary is my smithing/enchanting in order to increase my skill results in small enchanted items to sell and that works out pretty well too.

Alchemy appeals to me because most of the materials are just there to pick up and the result is pure profit. Ironically I do use potions, but not as often as I make them.

I sell the items of dead civilians and bandits!

once you attain the black star (WAY better than azura's) Enchanting has almost no limits, so i can make almost as much gold as i want

I had fun with my play through of just having money made from quest rewards, like the money from killing a bandit leader. I guess I was just a bounty hunter :3

I actually found that there aren't more things to spend your coin on,which felt kind of sad,considering I joined every guild,and upgraded everything there was to upgrade.Sponsoring would be nice,if it wouldn't be a perk for merchants,having to waste it on it.

1) Buy an item enchanted with "Banish Daedra"
2) Disenchant it
3) Craft a huge load of iron daggers, and enchant all of them with "banish daedra" (idealy with a lesser or petty soul, that you have collected yourself with a soul-absorbing weapon)
4) Each dagger is worth enough b y itself to make most merchants run out of money. A dozen of those will buy you a fully upgraded house, and leave you some change.

I'm a Thief. I steal and fence everything. Bought a House for 5,000 gold, and was left with 122 gold. Made 1,000 gold in a day, simply by going to Whiterun and taking high-end items and selling them.... fine clothes, which one might overlook, sell pretty good... and figure on getting about 10 of them or so, you just upped your ante easily with a high-end low weight item.
That and quest money.... stealing gold in cabinets and chests in homes... selling off pricey armor and weapons...

What's funny is... You can actually take items and sell them back to who you took them from in some cases.